The campus, called the "Mountaintop Project," has generated a lot
of buzz for lacking a traditional curriculum. Instead of
attending classes, students will spend an entire semester at the
satellite campus coming up with potential solutions to world
problems.

We reached out to Belair, who donated $20 million to Lehigh for
the campus, to find out more about why he is building the campus
and how it would be run.

He said the idea for the
project has been in the works for years.

"Originally, the idea was that it would be a place for
innovation," Belair said. "The idea to turn it into a kind of
study abroad program came about when we realized that the
existing buildings on the campus could have [living]
accommodations."

Eventually, Belair wants the program — which will be housed in
former steel research labs near Lehigh — to be a 24-hour facility
with a dining hall, a dormitory and possibly apartments for
graduate students.

Innovation, not invention, will be the primary focus of the
Mountaintop Project, he said.

"It’s about new ways to do things," Belair explained. "It’s not
about startup companies and finding ways to make
money." While startups may
emerge from the program, "that’s not the primary goal," he
added.

Belair, who graduated from
Lehigh in 1969 and co-founded Urban Outfitters one year later,
admitted that the program "is not for everyone" and that it’s
"not by any means meant to replace all other forms of
education."

"This is just another avenue for learning," he said. It will also
give teachers different way to engage with their students.

There are some things that just can’t be done by going to three
one-hour classes a week, he said, and "the more people who are
pursuing what they want as opposed to being told what to do, the
better."